November 2011

It’s NOT Magic!

In this day and age of internet prestidigitation, companies can easily create an illusion that they are something they are really not. Through deceptive digital skullduggery, companies will use images and misleading text to lead their website visitors to believe they possess capabilities that they really don’t. If you believe that receiving the correct bolts on time is as critical as we do, we suggest you look behind the curtain, so to speak, and beyond the pixels of your computer monitor. You might just discover that behind all the hocus-pocus, the image a company is creating is just an illusion.

The concept of corporate transparency has been brought about as a result of the digital age in which we live. Websites and social media such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and others have allowed us to pull back the curtain and reveal the true identity of the companies with which we do business. Even though Portland Bolt may be thousands of miles away and we may never meet face to face, we still want you to get to know our employees on a personal level and give you a glimpse into the daily operations of our organization by viewing our live webcam.

Creating an outstanding construction fastener manufacturing company is not magic… it’s hard work. And we’ve been hard at work for nearly 100 years. It’s an ongoing investment in people, equipment, and technology that will ensure our customers receive the highest level of service, quality product, and on-time delivery. Portland Bolt is a collective group of 50 employees with varying backgrounds and skills working together to service our customers. Each well-trained Portland Bolt employee possesses a unique set of skills and abilities that are combined to form a cohesive organization with no tricks up our sleeve and one simple goal in mind… to be an extension of your business. We hope you will provide us with the opportunity to partner in your success. And who knows… the next time you experience an emergency and need custom bolts on the jobsite immediately, we might just be able to pull a rabbit out of a hat! Give us a call.

Samalkot, IndiaIn February 2011, Portland Bolt supplied the anchor bolts required for six heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG) capable of producing 2,400 megawatts of electricity for the Samalkot Power Plant Expansion in India. The project will be the largest gas turbine combined cycle power project in India’s history. With much of the financial backing coming from US banks, the project requires a percentage of the material be of US domestic content. For this reason, the project is expected to generate thousands of jobs here in the United States. The project is scheduled for a fast track delivery and has an expected completion timeline of less than two years. To read more about the 77,500 pounds of anchor bolts Portland Bolt manufactured for this project, click here.

F1554 Grade 36 Hex Bolts

A. ASTM F1554 is an anchor bolt specification that is becoming increasingly popular in construction. The F1554 specification includes grades 36, 55 and 105. These anchor bolts can vary greatly in form and include right angle bend anchor bolts, swedged rods, and threaded rods with a nut and/or anchor plate on the bottom to provide pull-out resistance. Another common anchor bolt configuration under the F1554 specification is that of a hex head bolt in which the headed end is embedded in concrete with the threaded end projecting from the foundation.

Many fastener companies will attempt to substitute imported, A307 hex boltsfor F1554 grade 36 hex head anchor bolts. Can this be done? The answer is a resounding NO! Although these specifications are very similar, they are not identical. The reasons these specifications are not interchangeable and for information pertaining to potential liability issues caused by allowing such a substitution are explained in this FAQ.